Chapter 77
Confusing enough that, without realising, I’d walked into the forest and wound up somewhere I hadn’t intended to go. I knew I hadn’t been looking where I was going when I’d run into the night, but surely I should have realised the direction I was going well enough to avoid this place.
…So why had I come here?
I stared at the mossy stone circle before me, at the hill… and at the stump.
The stump that my head had laid upon during the moment of my death; my blood having once seeped into the soil around
Because, to my utter horror, somehow… I’d arrived at the trial grounds.
I walked up and approached the stump slowly, unsure if I even wanted to proceed.
Just being here made me feel sick. Ever since coming back, I’d always purposely avoided this place, knowing it would dredge up memories that already haunted me more than enough.
And that’s exactly what was happening.
I could see flashes of it all happening before me again as if it were real. An alternate reality where I was convicted of a wrongful death.
I saw the faces of the pack members as they stared at me with
such malice, parting the crowd to let me walk up. I saw the Elders sitting in the chairs assembled in a semicircle… and, of course, Benjamin and Isabella. Isabella who was seated in the
Luna’s seat.
In a daze, I continued to walk forwards, the large oak stump beckoning me on like an old friend. Had I become delirious? When was the last time I had even slept? The combination with my weakened state probably wasn’t doing me any favours as it all felt so real.
But nevertheless, I kept walking forwards until I stood before that stump and, immediately, I sank to my knees, just as I had in the past. The ground felt just as cold as I remembered and that same shiver went down my spine.
This was it. This was the place it had all ended. I could hear as the voices around me recited the words of the trial as if I were there once more. Usually, I did everything I could to block out the memories, to repress it, but this time I sat and listened quietly, letting it all play out just as it had.
“Then I declare that you are sentenced to death for releasing the devil Sebastian and endangering Alpha’s heir. I heard Benjamin’s voice said.
It was my line next. I still remembered the words perfectly.
“I swear to the Moon Goddess that I did nothing wrong to betray the Lock Heart Pack. I die today for false accusations, stupid myself and our dickhead Alpha… I hope you all suffer. When I am gone and you are alone, I hope I haunt you. I hope my face is what you see when you finally meet your demise.”
It was strangely true that I had come back to haunt them, just not in the way they would expect. I suppose they should
consider themselves lucky I didn’t make it my goal to kill them all as soon as I returned.
A small smile tugged at my lips humourlessly over that thought as I gently reached out, placing a hand on top of the stump that had held my last moments. So much pain I’d felt at that time, so much betrayal and hurt… so much emptiness.
And I realised it was similar to how I felt now. It was as if I’d gone full circle having become someone I was finally proud of… only to revert back. I’d reverted back and become someone so much worse.
But this didn’t need to be me. Whoever this was now… it was dark. It was someone… unpredictable, scared, and seeing enemies in even those I cared about. So terrified of the past reoccurring that I’d pushed everyone away and tried to kill Isabella myself.
I was acting insane in my desperation to prevent the same future.
In a weird way, Isabella had been right. I was meant to be smarter than this, a logical thinker, and yet I’d done several stupid things tonight without a second thought. I’d always felt my strengths were aligned in my ability to think out a strategy but it was clear I was still weak when it came to my own
emotions and other people.
Sighing, I calmed myself in my mind, letting go of the things I’d been holding onto. This wasn’t the past anymore and I needed to focus on the future.
… Including learning to accept Ava was dead… and move past
“Therefore,” I heard Benjamin’s voice once more, the trial having continued the duration I was in thought, “with the power held within me, I, Benjamin Dumont, Alpha of the Lock Heart Pack, sentence you, Winona Granger, former Luna of the Lock Heart Pack, to death. Kill her Now!”
I didn’t feel scared though. This trial wasn’t real and it didn’t need to hold power over me anymore.
Instead, I turned around and rested my head on the stump as I stared up into the sky. It was a cathartic experience, one that left me feeling… peaceful.
I knew this darkness was something I’d need to be careful about from now on. It was clear just how quickly I could negatively impact everything around me and lose my ability to think logically.
…And it was clear just how quickly I could become dangerous. To both myself and others.
At some point, I must have fallen asleep as I laid on the ground by the stump. Because the next thing I remembered was a voice calling out to me.
“Winona?”
